every wander

One of my biggest goals this year is to learn Hmong. I'm a Hmong American, and I want to retain my culture and heritage. I believe that language is a huge factor in retaining a culture, and I barely know my own. It's difficult for me to understand and converse with my grandparents. My boyfriend's parents both heavily speak Hmong and only speak a little bit of English. My church is First HMONG Baptist and the main service is mostly in Hmong, so being to understand the main message would be great. And it's just the cutest thing when little kids speak Hmong. I want my kids to know and speak Hmong, while also being able to understand and converse with them in Hmong. To begin my effort at self-teaching myself Hmong, I of course Googled "how to learn a language." Some tips I learned:  Don't set the wrong expectations. Learning a language isn't hard; it's just a long process.  Gruff Davies explains in his article how the success of learning a la...

The saying goes, "new year, new you". This year, this saying is especially true being that I am now graduated from college and living back at home. It's going to be weird when February rolls around and I don't have to go back to Eau Claire and attend classes. I now have endless hours with my siblings, and I'm now only 30 minutes away from a car ride to my boyfriend. I also now have to find a job in order to begin paying off all my college loans (and my credit card). Along with that, I have to find a position I enjoy and would give me stability throughout the start of my career. I feel like I have forgotten how to interview and all the answers I have for those repetitive questions. Today I applied to three positions at three different companies. I also received a call from a company I applied to two or three months ago. Beginning life after college feels exhausting, but also exciting! I'm excited to learn new things when I begin a position, and I'm excited ...